Fox News will use 55-inch tablets to cover breaking news, wants you to be involved in the process

It's no secret that the rise of social media usage has changed the way people consume their news. US news channel Fox News has realised this, and has developed a new studio equipped for modern news broadcasting. The "Fair and Balanced" studio will feature new technology to help curate a wide range of social media networks, publications, and info into a breaking news beast.

Fox News journalists and producers will use work stations in public view, found behind host Shepard Smith. The computers are run through 55-inch touchscreens displays, powered by Windows 8 and custom software Fox News says has never been used in the newsroom before. The computers can be put on the air in a moment's notice, definitely coming in handy for breaking news events where social media is often sourced.

If you think about how quickly information spreads across social media, it makes sense that Fox News would want to show viewers the information as quickly as possible, instead of them getting the information through Twitter. Something Fox News will have to get comfortable with is working in the public view. It says information will be vetted before being shown on-screen.

In its new studio, Fox News has also introduced a 38-foot video wall that host Shepard Smith can move with a PlayStation Move-like wand. Images can be moved from screen to screen, though we're not sure how effective this will be over a producer just doing it. A social media wall is found in the studio, where the information specialist will try to confirm news from social media and other sources and post it on the wall for viewers to see in the background.

What do you think? Will it be awkward to see people in the background sorting through Twitter?

The baby of the Lint team, Jake is responsible for covering the latest news out of the US. He began writing technology news at 15, covering the world of Apple for several publications. He has a deep interest in the latest gadgets and gizmos. Outside of breaking news, Jake enjoys drumming, music and photography.